Atmosphere and change Discuss the causes and environmental consequences of global climate change. Core Unit Part 3: Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Core Unit Part 3: Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Lessons 3-5

Global climate change Definition: The changes in global patterns of rainfall and temperature, sea level, habitats and the incidences of droughts, floods and storms, resulting from changes in the Earth’s atmosphere, believed to be mainly caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Temperature changes in Greenland over the last 75,000 years. What do you notice?

Causes of global climate change Uncertainty in geography – try to avoid very precise statements in your exam in an area where there is uncertainty. Nobody knows 100% what the exact causes of global change are and there is even more uncertainty regarding the consequences it might have in the future. It is therefore wise to show that you are aware that there is uncertainty and that there might be different results in the end.

Debate : Is global climate change a human or natural phenomenon? You will be given some information about the human and natural causes of global climate change. In your group, you need to have a short speech prepared to convince your opposition about your viewpoint. You can also use the IB Geog guide (p.32) and Planet Geography to help you - p (human) or p (natural – although the info is limited)

Atmosphere and change Discuss the causes and environmental consequences of global climate change. Core Unit Part 3: Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Core Unit Part 3: Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Lesson 4

Geography Homework: Title: What are the expected global impacts of Climate Change in according to the IPCC? Task1: Complete the following table, using the BBC’s website. Weblink: Task 2: Find out what the positive impacts of climate change are – categorise them as social, economic and environmental. Due in  next lessonhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/ stm LocationTemperatureSea LevelPrecipitation North America Latin (South) America Europe Africa Asia Australia & New Zealand Arctic Antarctica

Temperature Change

Sea Levels

Precipitation

IPCC - The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change is the leading body for the assessment of climate change, established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences. Amongst other things, they have made predictions about the changes in:  Global temperatures  Sea levels  Precipitation. You have 1 minute to discuss (ready to feedback) with the person next to you why these three things are relevant to peoples lives around the world… Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change

Impacts of Climate Change are Global… How might they impact on peoples’ lives around the world? The latest study from the IPCC predicts that most regions of the world will witness a variety of negative effects of global warming including increased human mortality, shifts in crops and agriculture production, and further degradation of local ecosystems.

Task You are going to produce a world map showing the negative impacts of climate change around the world… Each group will be given information about the negative effects of climate change in a different region of the world. You need to: (1)Read the information about your region and in groups, annotate it with a summary of the impacts of climate change (an example is shown on the next slide) (2)Classify the impacts as social, economic and environmental (3) Prepare a short presentation (max 2 mins) to feedback to others in your class, so that they can add information about the region you have studied onto their own map.

By the end of the lesson: You will have one region with more detailed notes and the other 6 regions with less detailed notes…

Plenary: Group Presentations As each group is presenting their ideas about the region they have studied, you need to be adding annotations onto your own world map… Each group will have no more than 2 minutes to present… 20 minutes

1. North America 2 minutes

2. Africa 2 minutes

3. Polar Regions (Arctic & Antarctic) 2 minutes

4. Central and South America 2 minutes

5. Asia 2 minutes

6. Europe 2 minutes

7. Australasia and the Pacific Region 2 minutes

Atmosphere and change Discuss the causes and environmental consequences of global climate change. Core Unit Part 3: Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Core Unit Part 3: Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Lesson 5

Starter: What negative impacts is climate change having on planet Earth? 5 minutes From last lesson, recap what some of the negative impacts of climate change are. Write 1-2 ideas on your post it note and stick it on the board…

What negative impacts is climate change having on planet Earth? Three impacts of climate change which have been seen as being particularly problematic are: 1. Impact on food production Reason it’s a problem: 2. Impact on sea levels Reason it’s a problem: 3. Retreating glaciers Reason it’s a problem: Task: Copy the paragraph above – for each impact, give 1-2 reasons why you think that impact has been deemed to be a big problem. 5 minutes

Impact on food production The global pattern of crop yield is expected to be affected by climate change. The world’s most important food are rice and wheat and these are grown in distinct regions. Almost every country depends of food imports and at any given moment the world has about 40 days worth of food supply in store. If climate change reduces harvests significantly then food prices will rise and some populations will be very badly affected, especially in Sub Saharan Africa. 10 minutes

Data response questions: (a) Using figure 7, identify the world’s largest importers and exporters of wheat. Include data in your answer. (b) In what ways would you expect these figures to change in the future? Explain your answer.

Food production Currently – a small number of countries are responsible for growing the majority of the world’s wheat crop that is sold on the world’s markets. The ‘wheat belts’ in countries such as the USA, Canada and the Russian Federation are in the interior of these countries. Future prospects – climate change could potentially affect these crop yields in a detrimental (negative) way, e.g. through droughts, changes in temperatures/rainfall, or flooding etc. This will not only affect the economies of the ‘wheat belt’ countries but also the world’s food supply, creating extra pressure on the governments to find a solution to a global decrease in food supply.

Impact on retreating glaciers/ sea level The vast majority of the world’s glaciers are retreating (i.e. melting) – some more quickly than others. 90% of glaciers in Antarctica are retreating. The melting of the glaciers/ice sheets is linked to the rising of sea levels The melting of the glaciers at the poles and the increase in the amount of fresh water could also affect ocean water movements such as the Gulf Stream. This could be diverted further south – potentially leading to colder temperatures in Western Europe. Sea levels are also predicted to rise due to the expansion of the sea water as it gets warmer Rising sea levels threaten the survival of small low lying islands and coral reefs, and will have an impact on all coastal regions. In addition, low lying deltas and floodplains may be contaminated by sea water. This will affect the local ecosystems. 20 minutes

Retreating Glaciers – before and after…

Data response question: Using the map below, describe and explain the changes that are expected to happen to the summer sea ice extent in the Arctic.

Data response question –What are the three scenarios that the IPCC has predicted, for future sea level rise? Extension – which of these three scenarios do you think is most likely and why?

Data response: By 2020, the IPCC has predicted that regardless of any changes we make to our lifestyles, there will be little variation in the number of people who are flooded.  Using figure 9, describe the changes that the IPCC expects to see in the future. Suggest reasons for your answer. Figure 9: forecasts of the average annual global number of people flooded under the three scenarios set out by the IPCC.

Plenary – in pairs, discuss the answers to these sentences Three impacts of climate change which have been seen as being particularly problematic are: Other knock on effects of climate change could be… 5 minutes

Did you get any of these? Three impacts of climate change which have been seen as being particularly problematic are: 1. Impact on food production 2. Impact on sea levels 3. Retreating glaciers Other knock on effects of climate change could be… War/conflict, famine, loss of bio-diversity, threat to human health (with more vulnerable at risk of death in some cases), increased likelihood of flooding and other natural disasters Can you think of any others?

Conflict in Darfur, Sudan (East Africa) - an example of a localised knock on effect of climate change… ewsnight/ stm ewsnight/ stm A UN report in 2007 concluded that the Darfur conflict in Sudan is driven by climate change and environmental degradation, which threatens to trigger a succession of new wars across Africa. The vulnerability of a community to climate change depends on the sensitivity of the systems it relies on to changes in temperature and rainfall, its adaptive capacity, or ability to adjust to new circumstances. 5 minutes (If there is time)

Data response questions: (a) Using figure 7, identify the world’s largest importers and exporters of wheat. Include data in your answer. (b) In what ways would you expect these figures to change in the future? Explain your answer.

Data response question: Using the map below, describe and explain the changes that are expected to happen to the summer sea ice extent in the Arctic.

Data response question –What are the three scenarios that the IPCC has predicted, for future sea level rise? Extension – which of these three scenarios do you think is most likely and why?

Data response: By 2020, the IPCC has predicted that regardless of any changes we make to our lifestyles, there will be little variation in the number of people who are flooded.  Using figure 9, describe the changes that the IPCC expects to see in the future. Suggest reasons for your answer. Figure 9: forecasts of the average annual global number of people flooded under the three scenarios set out by the IPCC.